Nearly $1 Million in Federal Grants Awarded to Help Specialty Crop Industry Grow

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seventeen Pennsylvania projects were recently awarded $994,725 in federal grants to increase the visibility and market share of the state's produce, nursery, horticultural and nut products, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said today.

The federal grants are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which was authorized under the federal Farm Bill.

"Specialty crops are a significant part of Pennsylvania's agriculture industry, with fruit and vegetable, horticultural, nursery and nut product sales surpassing $1 billion each year," said Redding. "This investment in our agriculture industry will help expand the presence of specialty crops in national and international markets, making these products more accessible to consumers and more profitable for producers."

The 17 funded projects address a range of priorities in the agriculture industry, including food safety, marketing, nutrition and sustainability.

Grant recipients were selected by a state-appointed specialty crop advisory board and approved by the state agriculture secretary. Applications were then collectively submitted for approval to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service.

The grant recipients are as follows:

• American Mushroom Association: $80,000 for Mushroom Good Agricultural Practices training;
• Fair Food: $34,795 for nutrition education in Philadelphia public schools;
• Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, Fayette County Food Shed Project: $28,000 to promote and improve access to locally grown fruits and vegetables;
• Food Trust: $22,675 to help Pennsylvanians access specialty crops;
• Linvilla Orchards: $20,000 for producing, studying and marketing the Seascape strawberry;
• Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Association: $60,000 to promote Pennsylvania apples;
• Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program: $46,000 to promote Pennsylvania produce;
• Pennsylvania Wine Association: $40,000 to expand the quality and reach of Pennsylvania wines;

In addition, The Pennsylvania State University received six grants for the following work:

• $33,862 to research a microbial survey of Pennsylvania surface water used for specialty crop irrigation and to develop sampling, handling and shipping procedures for surface water testing;
• $32,067 to research controlling tomato disease in organic and sustainable production;
• $81,820 to research high-risk pathogens of specialty crops;
• $54,872 to expand farm food safety training through Cooperative Extension;
• $50,967 to research and implement integrated pest management strategies for conifers; and
• $34,667 to research biological methods to boost the immunity of newly established raspberry bushes.

An additional $375,000 was awarded to the state Agriculture Department's bureaus of food distribution, food safety and market development. The grants will allow the bureaus, respectively, to promote best agricultural practices, continue outreach and educational support of Good Agricultural Practices, and to support the PA Preferred branding program.

In total, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded 54 block grants totaling $55 million for 827 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

For a complete summary of grants, visit www.ams.usda.gov/scgp.

Media contact: Nicole L. C. Bucher, 717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture